Regina turned away from the door, smiling. She had held Snow White's heart in her hand. She had seen the pulsing blackness at its core and knew it would grow larger. Soon Snow White would be just like her. She walked into her study, staring at her hand every few seconds as if she could still feel it there.

Cora was sitting at her desk.

"Mother." Regina greeted her with a wary smile.

She didn't feel as afraid of her now. It had been a few days since she had last appeared and she was beginning to accept it to be a part of the grief over losing her. Of course, this was still an illusion of her mother and old habits, and fears, took time to overcome.

"What are you doing?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"The way you've been acting. You need to stop it right now before you push everyone who cares about you away."

"Nonsense. No-one cares about me."

"Henry does, and Emma if you'd let her."

"They have each other now, they don't need me. Emma will find a way to get back together with Neal, then Henry's little family will be complete."

"Do you really believe that?"

"Why not? It's true."

Time to try another approach. "How did it feel when you kissed Emma?"

Regina blushed. "Mother…"

Cora stood from behind the desk and moved around it. "Like when you kissed Daniel? Or better?"

"I'm not discussing this with you."

"Well if you won't face Emma…"

"How can I?"

"She offered to be friends." Cora reminded her.

"Just how long have you been watching me?"

"Long enough."

"Then you know your plan is working. Snow White's heart is darkening and soon Daniel will be avenged. She will destroy her own happiness."

Cora shook her head. "That's not what I want."

"Then I guess I'll continue to be a disappointment, won't I?" Regina turned and walked from the room, using her magic to slam the door behind her.

She knew it wouldn't stop a ghost from passing through to follow her, but she hoped her mother would take the hint to leave her alone. She needed to find out more about ghosts and if there was any way to make her mother leave, permanently. Being haunted by a mother with a heart was not part of her plans.


Gold's shop was closed, but Regina had seen him walking with Belle along the beach so she knew he would be distracted. His wards were weak now. She found a small mouse crawling through the rubbish outside and transported it inside, watching from the window. There was a moment where the protective spells surged inwards to trap the creature. Regina used the crack and easily passed through them before they reset to ward off outside dangers. Once inside, she wouldn't be considered a threat.

The Dark One certainly enjoyed hiding things. Regina found several of his secret locations, but none contained anything remotely useful. She gave herself half an hour to look, and when that time was up, teleported back outside.

Emma was standing in the alleyway.

"I saw you through the window." She offered in explanation.

"Are you going to arrest me?"

"Depends. What were you doing?"

"Looking for something. I didn't find it so the charge would just be breaking and entering."

"Was this something dark magic related?"

"Is that any of your business?"

Emma smiled. "If you were planning to do something to hurt others, then yes."

"No."

"Okay."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "You're going to believe me? Just like that?"

Emma shrugged. "Shouldn't I?"

"Talk to your mother. Ask her what happened when she came to see me."

"She told me."

"So you know I took her heart…"

"And put it back."

"Perhaps you should see if you can 'save' her."

"Is there a way?" Emma looked thoughtful.

"No."

Emma frowned. "That almost felt like a lie."

"Then your superpower is broken. Now, do we have to wait in the alley for Gold to return or can I go home?"

"I'd like to talk."

"About the misunderstanding?"

"If that's what you want to cal the kiss, then yes."

"I'm busy."

"I could just arrest you and put you in a jail cell. Then you'd have to talk to me."

"No, I wouldn't."

"Okay, maybe you wouldn't have to speak, but you'd have to listen to me talking." Emma reached for her handcuffs and held them out towards Regina. "Your choice."

Regina sighed. "Not here."

"Where?"

"Meet me in my office, one hour."

Emma smiled. "I'll be there."


Emma rang her father, checking that everything was okay at the station. He'd offered to help out after Snow recovered from her depression. Apparently Regina not crushing her heart made her feel better. She had even returned to work at the school, in an attempt to prove everything was back to normal. Emma hadn't been convinced. She had confronted her and used her lie detector to find out the truth. Her mother had confided in her about the darkness marking her now. Emma still didn't understand how the whole heart-pulled-from-her-chest actually worked, but she was relieved that Regina hadn't killed her.

After her conversation with Regina, she wondered if there was something Gold knew about reversing the effects. She knew he was spending the afternoon with Belle. The two of them had been frequently seen at the diner, and while she didn't understand why Belle liked the much older man, at least her presence made him more co-operative. She decided to track them down, hoping that Belle would encourage him to help her.

She had an hour to find them before her meeting with Regina. Luckily she bumped into Archie who had seen them as he took Pongo for a walk. Just as she spotted them, walking on the beach, her father rang.